Why did Obama keep Gates, name Clinton?
As rumored for days, President-elect Barack Obama has named former rival Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state and retained Robert Gates as defense secretary.
Interesting moves, both of them. After working for months to draw the brightest possible lines between his philosophy and Clinton’s during the primary season, he’s put her on his team. Does the move strike you as particularly interesting or surprising?
Likewise, after being critical of the Bush Administration’s policy toward Iraq for months, he’s retaining Bush’s vanguard in the Department of Defense.
What do these moves mean for Obama’s foreign policy? For the future of the Iraq war?


Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor.
sp; certificate
RE the birth certificate…
I’ve actually done some research (google is a wonderful tool) and read a number of articles from different viewpoints. A few FACTS that many may not know.
Item: the Hawaii Secretary of State is on record as stating that there is, on file, in the proper county a properly signed and sealed birth certificate.
Item: In Hawaii, the embossed seal and signature appear on the BACK of the document, not the front. So, the famous online copy doesn’t show a signature at all, and the seal is only partly visible because it’s a front view.
Item: In most states, an original birth certificate is never released from the county records office. Anyone who claims to have an original birth certificate is lying. They have a certified copy.
Give it a rest.
Patriot Bush you are RIGHT ON!! Of course now you’ll see all those goof balls who voted for Muslim Obama complaning because they didn’t see the real Obama like we all did.
Logic???-
” Obama (and D. and RH) would first beg forgiveness for taking him into custody and make sure he is read his rights. Then, Obama (and D. and RH) would ask the terrorist nicely why he did what he did and maybe even who he is associated with. Perhaps he might even ask if the terrorist knows of any other possible attacks. Then, Obama (and D. and RH) would give this terrorist a lawyer, have him out on bail, and allow for an open trial.”
As usual your internal sense of logic has nothing to do with constructing a proper syllogism.
1. The Mumbai terrorist who was captured alive was more likely bragging.
2. While I do not presume to know what President Elect Obama (or D. for that matter) would say, I do know that I would not be asking him for his forgiveness, though I would read him his rights as required by Miranda. I then would ask him who he was and why he did what he did. All else would follow from there. I would not use torture.
3. I would make certain that I did follow both US and international law as to his right to counsel, but he would not get out on bail. As to the open trial why not? Let him make all of his speeches, but keep the process open in full view of the world to show that our system is still better than most everywhere else.
Sorry Logic, your “insight” into my mind is clouded by your log of xenophobia and knee jerk conservatism in your eye.
Too bad you do not trust the Consititution more.
Why did GB keep folks on his payroll who outed intelligence operatives and hide all those emails he was supposed to keep detailing the good old boyz’ activities for eight years? Lots of questions the press COULD have asked, but didn’t. Here’s a question for you…why do the good old boyz keep questioning Obama’s motives and judgments when he is the best thing we have seen in a long time?
By the way…all you talkative d-swingres would be better served by going to change.gov and putting your two cents in. Flailing away impotently on this blog isn’t going to change things. Get involved instead of pursing your lips and wailing on these blogs. Too hard for you? Don’t know what to say once it gets to the nitty gritty of actually doing something? Go anyway…you may learn something and help this country out of this mess the incompetent and criminal put us in. Chicken boyz? Go for it and quit mumbling while you try to figure out how to avoid looking whipped at home. Your one ups man ship is getting old and not helping anything along. Do it for your kids if nothing else.